As rumors spread of an OpenAI proof of the 'unique games' conjecture, three computer scientists raced to publish their own result

Quanta Magazine reports on a race between human researchers and an AI company over the unique games conjecture, one of the most famous open questions in theoretical computer science. On the morning of September 11, 2026, a friend texted Dor Minzer, an MIT professor and leading expert on the conjecture, to ask whether he was close to settling it. Minzer at first thought it was a joke. As more messages arrived, a rumor took shape: OpenAI, which had recently announced a proof about the behavior of fluids that drew wide attention among mathematicians, had allegedly found a proof of the unique games conjecture and might release it any day. According to Quanta, three computer scientists then rushed to publish their own milestone result on the problem before any AI result appeared. The article describes how working researchers are reacting as AI systems close in on major open problems. It raises questions about credit, timing and how fields decide when a result counts. The excerpt does not say whether OpenAI has published or confirmed such a proof, and this story makes no claim either way. The episode adds to a growing set of cases in which mathematicians and computer scientists change their publishing plans because AI might reach a result first.